I CAN READ!

Another great moment today -- one of my little rascals was in reading group with me, and we had one of the first little books to "read."  It was a rebus story  with text of "My shoes"  "My socks" "My jacket" and pictures to give them a clue about the word.  He read the whole 7  pages, then started pumping his arms in the air and said "OH Yeah!  Oh Yeah!!  I CAN READ!"  It made my day!

Outstanding!

After 3 weeks of seeing his clip moving down to "Think about it" and "Parent Contact" on the clip chart, one of my little boys went UP today -- he made it all the way to "OUTSTANDING!" I gave him a "My teacher is so proud of me!" sticker and pencil -- and he was so proud of himself, too.  On the way to the bus, he said with amazement "I was good today!"  We were both very happy! Is it too much to hope for 2 in a row?

DonorsChoose

My DonorsChoose Project
I am so excited to report that my DonorsChoose project has been fully funded -- we are getting a colorful new carpet for our gathering place!!  For a long time I have wished for a nice place for my kids to sit when they gather around to hear something new.  And now, thanks to some generous people, we will be getting a "magic" carpet.  Woo-hoo!!! Thank you!!

Clip Chart

I love my new clip chart for behavior management.  I've used a stop light with magnetic cars for the past 7 years, and I liked it a lot. The cars were moved for bad behavior. But this one is an  incentive for extra effort, since everyone is aiming for OUTSTANDING behavior at the top of the chart.  With my previous system, most followed the rules, and that was good.  But this clip chart recognizes the "Bucket Fillers" -- the children who are helpful and show kindness to others.  When a teacher notices and comments on a child's good behavior, their clip is moved up. And clips can be moved up and down throughout the day, so one infraction can be reversed with a little effort.  It just makes the children more aware of ways to help others in our little community of learners. In only 10 days of school, I've seen children voluntarily pushing others on the swings, picking up paper towels from the bathroom floor, taking responsibility for picking up crayons and toys, pushing in chairs for others, and lots of other little random acts of kindness. My favorite part is that the whole class CHEERS when a classmate gets up to "Outstanding." Thanks to my co-worker, Mrs. Franzen, for telling me about this system -- and to all the blogging teachers who have "filled my bucket" by sharing so many wonderful ideas this year.